The present invention relates generally to multi-player gaming machine and, more particularly, to a gaming platform that allows multiple players to independently play a game of chance on a common visual display.
Current multi-player gaming platforms for games of chance such as roulette, horse racing, keno, and bingo require all players to place their wagers and make selections by a specified time or event. Therefore, players can only join the game at certain times and must play the game at a predetermined pace that is either too slow or fast.
To overcome these shortcomings, the present invention provides a gaming platform including a large visual display and a plurality of player terminals coupled to the visual display. The visual display indicates a game of chance including a single play field and a plurality of movable game pieces. The game pieces are associated with the respective player terminals. In response to a wager placed at one of the player terminals, the game piece associated with that terminal moves along or near the play field and generates a game outcome. The game outcome may be defined by the game piece itself or where the game piece lands on the play field. The game awards a payoff if the game outcome meets winning criteria.
The wager placed at the one of the player terminals is independent of any other wagers placed at the other player terminals and is independent of when the other wagers are placed. Similarly, the game piece associated with the one of the player terminals operates independent of the game pieces associated with the other player terminals. There is no actual player-to-player interactionxe2x80x94the players merely make use of the same play field. Therefore, the gaming platform allows players to join the game of chance at any time and to place wagers, make any necessary selections, and play the game at their own pace. Because players do not have to wait to join the game, the game can be played more quickly and therefore can generate greater profits than existing multi-player gaming platforms.